This Week In Records

There are a couple of new albums out this week, that we highly recommend getting your ears around. The first of these is the latest from The Mars Volta, titled The Bedlam In Goliath. If this album is even half as fascinating as the story behind it, it'll be an epic. (Check the band's website for the backstory.) The second release is Field Manual, the long-awaited debut solo album from Death Cab for Cutie's own multi-instumentalist Chris Walla. This one is apparently so good that it was actually seized at the border by Homeland Security, so they could get a listen before anyone else. (More on that here.) Lastly, Beck's classic 1996 album, Odelay, get's the Deluxe Edition treatment. Lots of b-sides, rarities and remixes! Head down to your local independent music store and check 'em all out.